Based out of Detroit, Michigan, Batttlecross present a blue collar thrash attack that is a sheer assault to the senses. Recently signed to the legendary Metal Blade Records, their debut for the label Pursuit Of Honor has been unleashed to the masses!

In addition to their own dynamic, technical shows, Battlecross has opened for such entities as Devil Drive, Dying Fetus, Vital Remains and the almighty GWAR! Read on to find out more about the sonic metal overdrive known as Battlecross!!!

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Battlecross, and how long the band has been together. Hiran Kumara Deraniyagala Esquire! Rhythm/lead guitarist and the shortest guy with the longest last name. Band has been together since 04’ but through various lineups, 07’ would be the true birth of the band.

Where is the band based out of and what is your local metal scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend? We hail from Detroit and the scene is pretty good here but not just in Detroit but in other areas of the Mitten too, like Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, etc. Here are a few bands I’d recommend- Writhing, Nurse Ratched, Bury The Silence, Dagon, Beast In The Field, Hellmouth, Shit Life, 3 Parts Demon, Flesh Eating Flesh, Burn The Hearse, Cacophonous Incantation, Deadringer, Dwarf Corpse, The Devastator, Genocya, Inhaling the Plague, Saprogenic, Scorned Deity, Teratoma, Syphilic, and on and on…

How did you wind up being signed to Metal Blade Records? Hard work, persistence and a year long relationship that blossomed into a marriage 😉

Please select two songs from Pursuit Of Honor and what inspired the lyrics. “Push Pull Destroy”- the lyrics were pretty much about the band and our attitude of achieving our dream. Never giving up and overcoming all odds.

“Man Of Stone”- this song represents the working class man. Detroit has obviously been through a lot especially the blue collar workers in the auto-industry. This song represents the workers who continually face hardships in their lives from their job, family life, etc. and still go to work everyday, never complain and put in an honest days work.

Who did the cover art for the new CD and how much input did you have on it? The sexiest man I know- Josh Schroeder from Random Awesome Studios. Josh co-produced and recorded our album and he also happens to be an amazing artist. We knew Josh was the guy to really capture what we wanted. We had a little input because we really wanted to get an artists’ perspective on our music and we were beyond satisfied with what he drew up.

What could one expect from a live Battlecross show? A lot of headbanging! We strive to put on the best show possible whenever and wherever we play. We go up there and rage and people really grasp on to that. We’re not out to look tough or create a theatrics live show. Just us, the music and the audience.

What was it like opening for GWAR and did you get to hang out with them at all? Opening for GWAR was probably one of the largest crowds we’ve ever played in front of and probably one of the best shows we played. We were humbled the audience dug what we were doing especially considering how cutthroat their fans can be. Let’s face it they’re there to see one band and one band only- the mighty GWAR!

Have you ever played in the Los Angeles area or plan to do so in the future? We have never played out in LA before but I’m sure you’ll be seeing us there soon enough. I want to at least go to the Metal Blade office and give everyone a hug.

What was the very first metal concert you attended and how old were you at the time? My first metal concert was Ozzfest 98, I was 15. That concert was like my gateway drug to metal. I was flooded with all different kinds of bands I’ve never heard.

Are there any Battlecross groupies wandering around the streets of Detroit or beyond? Well there are probably groupies wandering the streets of Detroit selling their bodies for drugs or money but these aren’t the Battlecross groupies I know. Battlecross groupies are real metal fans with class and that’s the way we like em!

What is your beer of choice and why? Newcastle, cause its brown like me 😉

Battlecross is Kyle Gunther on vocals, Tony Asta on guitar, Hiran Deraniyagala on guitar, Don Slater on bass, and Michael Kreger on drums.